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Restaurants and Attractions in the Norman area
Although Norman is small, it has some nice attractions and restaurants that you might be interested in checking out. Fairs: Norman is known for the many fairs and festivals it has throughout the year. I'm just noting a few of the bigger attractions. You can see the following link for more festivals, but note that not all Norman festivals are listed on this site: http://www.fairsandfestivals.net/states/OK/ * Currently, the Summer Breeze Concert Series is under way. You can see various bands play in the park on Sunday evenings. Here is a link to check out what bands are playing and the schedule for August: http://www.pasnorman.org/programs/summerbreeze * 2nd Friday Art Walk: Every 2nd Friday evening, Main Street in the down town area features an Art Walk, where you can stroll into stores and check out local artists' works. Some stores have free snacks and booze and there are often food trucks that attend the events. Some Art Walks have local food and plants for sale, too. * August 6 there will be the Norman Music and Food Truck Festival at Riverwind Casino. See the link: http://www.fairsandfestivals.net/events/details/2016-norman-music-and-food-truck-festival1 * Football Events: Look for OU football events during home game weekends throughout the fall, starting in September. Tailgating on campus is a common past time during home games. * Fall Festival: This is a downtown Norman event close to Halloween that invites children to trick-or-treat. There are games, inflatables, and other fun activities for all ages. * Norman also has parades that go through downtown, like the Christmas parade and Mardi Gras. * Chocolate festival - usually in February. * Medieval Fair: This is a huge attraction that occurs in early April every year. * Norman Music Festival: An even bigger event that brings in over 500 bands to play, mostly local to Oklahoma. 3 day event in late April. Museums:' '''Most of the local museums are in OKC, but the Fred Jones art museum and the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History are quite excellent. Nearby you will find the Osteology Museum (definitely worth checking out) and the OKC Museum of Art, which are both quite excellent, too. '''Restaurants:' You will find a lot of excellent restaurants in the OKC area, but if you just want to try some local flavor around Norman, I have listed a few excellent ones below (listed by location): * Scratch Kitchen and Cocktails: Excellent food and even better drinks, all made from scratch. Downtown Main Street. * Benvenuti's: Gourmet Italian food (a bit pricey, but worth it and great for celebrations). Downtown Main Street. * The Diner: Local favorite and famous diner (has been on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and on a Makeover show recently). Open for breakfast and lunch only. Downtown Main Street. * Das Boot Camp: German cuisine in downtown Norman. * Full Moon Sushi: Excellent local sushi restaurant. Downtown Main Street. * Blu: * Pepe Delgado's: A local Mexican food favorite - campus corner. * Victoria's Pasta Shop: campus corner, Italian cuisine with fresh-made noodles and sauces. * Blackbird Gastropub: gourmet pub food on campus corner. * Hideaway Pizza: Gourmet pizza joint on campus corner. Local favorite. * Jax: Cajun cuisine on campus corner. * Hurtz Donuts: unique donut shop on campus corner. * O Asian fusion: Asian fusion cuisine: stir fry, sushi, noodles, etc. East side of Norman (12th and Alameda) * Tarahumara's: Local Tex-Mex on Porter near the hospital. * Gaberino's: Local Italian with handmade noodles and fresh-made sauces. They have Gluten free items on their menu. West side of town, across from Sooner Mall in a shopping center near Sam's. * Coolgreens: Salads and wraps. West side of Norman, off of Robinson and near 36th. They are opening one on campus corner soon. * Thai Thai: Tiny Thai restaurant on Main Street near Flood ave. * There are more excellent places to eat in Norman, but this should be a good start. Coffee Shops in Norman: * Michelangelo's Coffee and Wine Bar on Main Street in Norman: Delicious coffee concoctions, and they also sell food and alcohol. Nice place to work (studying or grading) * Gray Owl Coffee: Near downtown Main Street, but off of Gray Street. Excellent place to study, great coffee. * Crimson and Cream: Campus Corner area; good coffee. A little small, but great place. * Second Wind: Campus Corner area; Non-profit coffee house with great fair trade coffee and a nice place to study. * Starbucks: There are several in town, of course, but one on campus corner and one in the lower level of the library.